Folding chair



March 26, 1963 B. K. MILBOURNE FOLDING CHAIR Filed Oct. 18, 1961 March26, 1963 B. K. MILBOURNE 3,083, 5

FOLDING CHAIR Filed Oct. 18, 1961 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 IN VEN TOR. BEN/WW A.M/LBUl/P/Vf United States Patent 3,683,651 FOLDING CHAIR Benjamin K.Milbourne, San Jose, Calif., assignor, by mesne assignments, to RobertS. Curtis Filed Get. 18, 1961, Ser. No. 145,867 2 Claims. (Cl. 297-19)This invention relates in general to a foldable or collapsable rockingchair.

It is an object of this invention to provide a collapsable rocking chairwhich is well braced and sturdy in use but which may be folded to occupya minimum storage space.

Ancillary objects and advantages of this invention, if not specificallyset forth, will become apparent during the course of the descriptionwhich follows.

Generally, this invention comprises a collapsable rocking chair having aback and a seat member hinged together whereby the back may be foldeddirectly over the seat, a pair of arcuate rocker members, a front pairof legs hinged at the top ends thereof to opposite sides of said backs,said front legs being hinged at the bottoms thereof adjacent the frontsof the said arcuate rocker members, a pair of rear legs each pivoted atone end thereof to an arcuate rocker member at a point spaced from thepoint of attachment of a front leg, each of said rear legs being pivotedadjacent the other end thereof to said back at a point intermediate thepoint of attachment of said seat and said point of attachment of a frontleg, the front and rear legs being paired and each two elementsconstituting a pair lying in the same plane whereby each of the saidfront legs bears against an end of a rear leg when the chair is unfoldedfor use.

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view showing the collapsable rocker of thisinvention.

FIGURE 2 is a perspective view showing the manner in which the rocker ofthis invention is folded.

FIGURE 3 is a side elevation showing the rocker of this inventioncompletely folded for storage.

FIGURE 4 is an enlarged, fragmentary sectional view on the line 4-4 ofFIGURE 1.

FIGURE 5 is an enlarged, fragmentary sectional view on the line 55 ofFIGURE 4.

FIGURE 6 is an enlarged, fragmentary sectional view of a portion of theleftmost end of the folded chair of FIGURE 3.

FIGURE 7 is an enlarged perspective View of one of the brackets which isconveniently used for attaching the back and seat members.

Referring now to the drawings wherein like characters refer to likeparts throughout, there is shown a collapsable rocker having a back,generally 1t incorporating a pair of normally upright support members 12and horizontal cross pieces 14, 16 and 18. The seat generally 20, ishinged to the back by means of brackets 22. Each bracket has a U-shapedreceptacle 24 for a bracing member 26. The seat 20 consists of a pair ofside frame elements 2% having a plurality of cross members 30, 32, 34and 36. Each of the seat frame elements 28 is secured to the bracket 22by means of pin 49 about which the seat pivots. The bracket is fixed, bymeans of a pair of pins 42 and 43 to the normally vertical backsupporting members 12.

Pivotcd by means of pins 44 to front ends of each of the arcuate rockermembers 46 are front legs 48. These legs are pivoted at the upper endsthereof by means of pins 59 to the upright back members 12. Each of thefront legs 48 is provided with suitable cross bracing including brace 52and brace 54. One of the advantageous features of this invention flowsfrom the placement of the brace 54 sufficiently near the normallylowermost ends of the front legs 48 that the chair may be folded asshown 3,083,051 Patented Mar. 1963 2 in FIGURE 3 with the top of theback member 10 pass ing between the front legs of the rocker. As seen inFIGURE 4, the brace 54 also serves as a support for the frame members 28of the seat 20.

The rocker is provided with a pair of rear legs 56 which are pivoted bymeans of pins 58 to points adjacent the rearmost ends of the arcuaterocker members 46 which legs have bracing 59. The normally uppermostends of the legs 56 are pivoted about pins 43 which pass directlythrough brackets 22 and upright back support members 12. The pins 43strike the legs 56 at points spaced somewhat from the uppermost ends ofthe legs as particularly shown in FIGURE 4. As each front leg lies inthe plane of a rear leg, the boss 60 which has a shank, not shown, isthreaded into the upper end of the leg and bear-s against a rearwardside of one of front perpendicularity of the front legs 43 and thus theback member 10.

Optionally, the chair may be provided with arms 62 secured in positionby means of pins 50 adjacent the uppermost ends of the front legs 48.Hinges 63 provide means for attachment of arms 64. Hole 65 drilled ineach of the front legs 48 provide a receptacle for a dowel mounted onthe end of each arm support 64.

To assemble the chair from the position shown in FIG- URE 3, one needonly grasp the cross member 14 of the back :10 and lift it until thebosses 64 contact the undersides of front legs 48, as shown in FIGURE 2.As seen in FIGURE 5, friction reducing means such as Washers 66 may bepositioned between any of the movable parts wherever required.

Obviously, many modifications and variations of the inventionhereinabove set forth may be made without departing from the spirit andscope thereof and, therefore, only such limitations should be imposed asare indicated in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A collapsable rocking chair comprising a back and a seat hingedtogether whereby said back may be folded directly over said seat, a pairof arcuate rocker members, a pair of front legs hinged at the topmostends thereof to opposite sides of said back, said front legs beinghinged at the bottommost ends thereof to said arcuate rocker members,said front legs having at least a single brace bridging the distancetherebetween, said brace being so positioned that said back may passbetween said front legs and the front portion of said seat may besupported on said brace when said chair is assembled, a pair of rearlegs pivoted at the lowermost ends thereof to said arcuate rockermembers at points spaced from the points of attachment of said frontlegs, said rear legs being pivoted adjacent the topmost ends thereof toopposite sides of said back at points intermediate the point ofattachment of said seat thereto and points of attachment of said frontlegs thereto, one of said front legs lying in the same plane as one ofsaid rear legs and the other of said front legs lying in the same planeas the other of said rear legs whereby each of said front legs bearsagainst an end of a rear leg when the said chair is unfolded for use,said last-mentioned end of each of said rear legs having means forextending and retracting said end whereby to increase or decrease theeffective length of said leg, said means being positioned on the saidend of each of the said rear legs between the point whereat said leg ispivoted to said back member and said point where a front leg bearsagainst said rear leg, said means consisting of a member threaded intosaid leg and being capable of being extended and retracted by rotation.

2. A collapsable rocking chair comprising a back and a seat hingedtogether whereby said back may be folded V directly over said seat, apair of arcuate rocker members,

a pair'of front legs hinged at the topmost ends thereofto opppositesides of said back, said front legs being hinged at the bottommost endsthereof to said arcuate rocker members, saidvfront legs'having at leasta single being so positioned relative to the other end thereof that saidback may pass between said front legs and the front portion of said seatmay be supported on said brace when said chair is assembled, a pair ofrear legs pivoted at the lowermost .ends thereof to said arcuate rockermembers at pointsspaced from the points of attachment of said frontlegs,- said:rear legs being pivoted adjacent the topmost endsthereof toopposite sides of said back at points intermediate the point ofattachment of said seat thereto and points of attachmentofsaid frontlegs .thereto, one of said front legs lying in the same plane as one ofsaid rear legs-and the otherof said front legs lying in the same.

plane as the other of said rear legs whereby eachof said and said pointwhere a front leg bears against said rear leg.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS168,725 Darin Oct. 11, 1875 215,581 Dann May 20, 1879 1,249,650 McPheeDec. 11, 1917 1,774,190 Stannard Aug. 26, 1930 1,958,042 Hanson May 8,1934 2,694,442" Nordrnark Nov. 16, 1954 2,865,437 Shwayder Dec. 23, 19582,877,829 Ferror et a1. Mar. 17, 1959 2,996,278 Iorio Aug. 15, 1961

1. A COLLAPSABLE ROCKING CHAIR COMPRISING A BACK AND A SEAT HINGEDTOGETHER WHEREBY SAID BACK MAY BE FOLDED DIRECTLY OVER SAID SEAT, A PAIROF ARCUATE ROCKER MEMBERS, A PAIR OF FRONT LEGS HINGED AT THE TOPMOSTENDS THEREOF TO OPPOSITE SIDES OF SAID BACK, SAID FRONT LEGS BEINGHINGED AT THE BOTTOMMOST ENDS THEREOF TO SAID ARCUATE ROCKER MEMBERS,SAID FRONT LEGS HAVING AT LEAST A SINGLE BRACE BRIDGING THE DISTANCETHEREBETWEEN, SAID BRACE BEING SO POSITIONED THAT SAID BACK MAY PASSBETWEEN SAID FRONT LEGS AND THE FRONT PORTION OF SAID SEAT MAY BESUPPORTED ON SAID BRACE WHEN SAID CHAIR IS ASSEMBLED, A PAIR OF REARLEGS PIVOTED AT THE LOWERMOST ENDS THEREOF TO SAID ARCUATE ROCKERMEMBERS AT POINTS SPACED FROM THE POINTS OF ATTACHMENT OF SAID FRONTLEGS, SAID REAR LEGS BEING PIVOTED ADJACENT THE TOPMOST ENDS THEREOF TOOPPOSITE SIDES OF SAID BACK AT POINTS INTERMEDIATE THE POINT OFATTACHMENT OF SAID SEAT THERETO AND POINTS OF ATTACHMENT OF SAID FRONTLEGS THERETO, ONE OF SAID FRONT LEGS LYING IN THE SAME PLANE AS ONE OFSAID REAR LEGS AND THE OTHER OF SAID FRONT LEGS LYING IN THE SAME PLANEAS THE OTHER OF SAID REAR LEGS WHEREBY EACH OF SAID FRONT LEGS BEARSAGAINST AN END OF A REAR LEG WHEN THE SAID CHAIR IS UNFOLDED FOR USE,SAID LAST-MENTIONED END OF EACH OF SAID REAR LEGS HAVING MEANS FOREXTENDING AND RETRACTING SAID END WHEREBY TO INCREASE OR DECREASE THEEFFECTIVE LENGTH OF SAID LEG, SAID MEANS BEING POSITIONED ON THE SAIDEND OF EACH OF THE SAID REAR LEGS BETWEEN THE POINT WHEREAT SAID LEG ISPIVOTED TO SAID BACK MEMBER AND SAID POINT WHERE A FRONT LEG BEARSAGAINST SAID REAR LEG, SAID MEANS CONSISTING OF A MEMBER THREADED INTOSAID LEG AND BEING CAPABLE OF BEING EXTENDED AND RETRACTED BY ROTATION.